24 BtTLLETIN 683^ U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



clean and white, is free from stain, taste, and odor, and has con- 

 siderable stiffness and strength. It is a very desirable wood where 

 frequent scrubbings are necessary. Elm has been employed to a 

 considerable extent •in the manufacture of refrigerators. It is not 

 altogether satisfactory, however, because it warps in damp situa- 

 tions. Ash is much preferred, but often costs considerably more. 

 An average price of $23.72 per thousand feet is paid for ehn for 

 these uses. 



FURNITURE. 



Ehn does not hold a place of first importance as a furniture wood; 

 but it is useful for many purposes m the industry, which uses more 

 than 12,000,000 board feet annually, exclusive of what goes into 

 fixtures and chairs. Its place is in cheap furniture or the interior 

 parts of more expensive kinds. Much of the ehn used for furniture 

 goes into the framework, on account of its strength and its abihty to 

 hold screws and stand shocks. It is used especially for the frame- 

 work of upholstered furniture. In recent years it has been success- 

 fully finished to imitate birch, maple, and cherry. Elm also makes 

 a good wood for bed slats. An average price of $24.50 per thousand 

 at the factory is reported. This is very httle less than the average 

 price reported for birch and maple for the same industry. 



AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS. 



Over 7,000,000 feet of ehn annually is reported as used for agri- 

 cultural implements. It serves principally as the framework and as 

 bent wood in many different kinds of farm implements, for which it 

 is especially suitable, because it is comparatively light, strong, and 

 serviceable. Cork elm and white elm are in demand for parts of 

 cultivators, hayrakes, hay balers, thrashing machines, and reapers. 

 White elm is commonly used for drih boxes. Cork ehn is in good 

 demand for plow handles because of its strength, abdity to stand 

 shock well, hardness, adaptability to bent work, and ability to take 

 a smooth pohsh and wear smooth with use. The average cost of 

 elm reported for these uses is $30.89 per thousand feet at the factory. 

 Evidently a high quahty of ehn is demanded. 



TRUNKS AND VALISES. 



One of the most suitable uses for ehn is for trunks. It often 

 goes into the framework. Its chief place, however, is in the slats 

 on the outside, where it is extremely resistent to wear and not easily 

 broken. Few woods are considered equal to elm for this purpose. 

 An average cost of $26.53 per thousand feet is reported by the 

 factories. 



FIXTURES. 



Ehn is in good demand by makers of church furniture, by whom 

 it is made prmcipaUy into curved pew seats. They like it because 

 it bends well without steaming and glues well. The seats are buUt 

 up from kiln-dry elm squares, which are glued together and held in 



